How to make a festive Easter basket from a gourd

Hello and welcome.   Glad you came back.  I have a really cute project for you today that you can make in just a few hours.  This is an Easter basket you can create from a gourd.   The kids are going to love it, and it is fun to make.  Proxxon makes a little jigsaw that works fantastic on gourds.  

This is a sneak peek at the finished project.   But don't go away, I am going to tell you how I did it.  Trust me it was easy.

Supplies and Equipment

1 medium sized gourd

Proxxon mini jigsaw

Proxxon OZI/E delta sander

drill with medium size bit

Plaid paints 

Krylon Crystal Clear sealer gloss

Let's get started:

First thing I did was to pick a gourd.  I chose the one in the picture below because of it's size and shape.   I want to make a curvy handle so I chose a longer necked gourd.   Set the gourd on the table to see how it sits then sketch a line around it where you want the top of the basket to be.

The next thing I did was to draw some bunnys on mine because I want the ears to be part of the basket.   Also I drew in my handles.  (hard to see the handles in this picture but they are there)😡

Now comes the fun part.   First drill some entry holes in the "waste" part of the gourd, (that part you are going to cut out).  This allows insertion of the jigsaw blade.    Using the Proxxon mini jigsaw follow your lines and cut out your basket.   Surprize!!, you never quite know what you're going to find inside a gourd.   This time I got lucky it was the loofa like stuff that is easy to remove.  Sometimes it's fuzzy stuff and sometimes it is yucky.  See how easy nice the jigsaw cuts.  This is just half done.  I will cut out the other side next.

When I finished cutting I cleaned out the inside then sanded the edges of the cut gourd using the Proxxon OZI/E delta sander.   This is a must,  as the edges of the cut gourd are as sharp as a razor!

Proxxon OZI/E delta sander

Note the twisted handle.  That is up to you if you want to do it.   But I think it adds a bit of flair.  I also like to leave a bit of the stem to remind me that it was once green and growing in my back yard.

Now we paint 

 I drew bunnys and eggs around the outside of the bowl, flowers and eggs on the handles.   Bunnys, eggs and flowers  are easy to draw, so make it your own. 

  

 I used the Plaid paints listed below because of the vivid colors they offer.

Icy White, Black, Purple iris, Lime green, Fuchsia, Jack o lantern, Calypso sky, Melted chocolate,and Burnt sienna.   I painted everything except the inside, because that I am going to fill that with grass, eggs and candy.!!    

When everything was dry, I gave the outside a spray of the sealer gloss, this will keep the paint in good shape for many years.  

All done!

Thank You for visiting.  Have a Hoppy Hoppy Easter.  

Thanks to Proxxon and Plaid for supplying what we need to make pretty things.

Till next time, play safe, and be hoppy!     Carol